Barbara Strozzi was famed throughout 17th century Venice for her glorious voice and artistry, ‘la virtuosissima cantatrice’ of the city state.

Yet this pupil of Cavalli and performer of Monteverdi was quietly creating a unique musical legacy. An illegitimate daughter, a single parent, who was treated by many as a courtesan and unable to secure a position in any court, she published seven volumes of increasingly ambitious music between 1655-1664.